Master's programme Informatik

The general objective of the master's programme Informatik is to be a research-oriented degree programme. On the basis of a broad and, in selected sub-areas, deepened subject-specific knowledge, the analytical, creative, and constructive skills for the new and further development of systems made of software and hardware are taught and fostered. In addition, the students' abilities for basic or application-oriented research in the field of computer science are also created or strengthened.

The degree programme is designed to enable graduates to work successfully throughout their entire professional lives. For this reason, there is a need to teach students not only content that is relevant to the present, but also theoretically underpinned concepts and methods that will endure beyond current trends. In particular, skills are taught in the following fields: formal, algorithmic, mathematical competences; analytical, design, realization, and project management competences; technological competences; interdisciplinary competences; methodological competences; as well as social skills and self-competence.

In addition to general skills, the master's programme is characterized above all by project-oriented work in several areas of specialization to teach the above-mentioned, general competences.

The existing master's programmes in Applied Computer Science and Computer Science will continue to be offered. The master's programme in Computer Science is to be converted into a purely English-taught programme after the introduction of the new master's programme Informatik, as it is now predominantly studied by students without German language skills.

A decision as to whether one of the three master's programmes will possibly be discontinued in the future will depend on the development of the student numbers in the three degree programmes in the coming academic years.Target groups

The master's programme Informatik is geared towards students with a bachelor's degree or comparable degree with a major in Computer Science. In particular, it is aimed at the following target groups:
 

• Students of the bachelor's programme in Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth (type 1 according to GI Classification 1) who wish to continue their studies at the University of Bayreuth. So far, students of this target group have had to continue their studies either in the English-taught master's Computer Science or at another university.
   
  
• Students of the bachelor's programme in Applied Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth (type 2 according to GI classification) who would like to continue their studies in a master's programme in Computer Science with a lower application component (type 1). So far, students of this target group have also had to continue their studies either in the English-taught master's programme Computer Science or at another university.
   
  
• Students in the modularized bachelor's/master's teacher education programme who would like to change to the subject-specific master's degree after the bachelor's degree in teaching with computer science. One important goal of the modularized teaching degree is the so-called polyvalence of the bachelor's degree: after the bachelor's degree in teaching, it should be possible to change to the master's degree programme in the first teaching subject. In computer science, this option has failed so far due to the lack of prerequisites in the application subject or insufficient knowledge of English.
   
  
• German students from other universities who are attracted by the specific features of the master's programme (project semester).
  

In order to do justice to these target groups, analogous to the master’s in Computer Science, compared to the existing degree programme Applied Computer Science and its application areas, the special application portion is greatly reduced, redefined with regard to the competences to be taught, and supplemented with further selection options. On the one hand, this is intended to provide students of the University of Bayreuth who would like to study a type 1 master's programme with a suitable offer that will enable them to remain at the University of Bayreuth. On the other hand, the application component is now designed in such a way that students coming from other institutions as well as students of the modularized teaching degree can fulfil the necessary requirements for this. Due to the extensive and in-depth application component, transferring to Bayreuth in the previous master's programme in Applied Computer Science was only possible by meeting extensive requirements, while the master's programme Informatik may not require sufficient knowledge of English.

Prerequisites for admission to the master's programme Informatik are:

1. a university degree in the bachelor's programme in Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth or in the bachelor's programme in Applied Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth or a degree equivalent thereto and;
    
   
2. proof of German language skills of at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages for applicants who have neither acquired their higher education entrance qualification nor their initial degree in German; the required German language skills can also be demonstrated by way of a thesis in German in a degree programme.
   

Students can start their studies in either Winter Semester or Summer Semester.

Further information on enrolment and transfer ...more

The consecutive master's programme Informatik is designed for approximately 25 first-year students per year. It addresses target groups that are complementary to the target groups of the master's programmes Applied Computer Science and Computer Science. With the additional introduction of the new master's programme, the Department of Computer Science is creating conditions to significantly increase the number of students in computer science related master's programmes at the University of Bayreuth.

Since this degree programme includes a large proportion of existing German-taught computer science courses, it is feasible in terms of subject matter, personnel, and funding with the existing resources. The broad spectrum of alternative application areas is expected to be attractive to graduates from a wide range of disciplines. These are either introductory courses or in-depth courses with a strong computer science connection. All of these courses can be covered with existing modules via teaching contributions from other subject groups or faculties.

This strategy is based on the idea that computer science students learn to understand the technical language of the application areas by attending these courses. Thus, they are able to design and implement the experts’ application systems together with the experts. This corresponds to the more widespread conception of computer science courses.

Detailed information about the Certificate Program can be found here.

Admission to the master's programme requires a bachelor's degree with a major in computer science comprising at least 70 credit points. This roughly corresponds to the computer science subsection of the bachelor's programme in Applied Computer Science at the University of Bayreuth. This proportion of 70 credit points also guarantees that students of a computer science related subject from other universities can easily enter this master's programme. Finally, sufficient German language skills at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages are required, which can be demonstrated by taking the UNIcert II, TestDAF, DSH, or a comparable examination.

The structure of the master's programme is based on the current recommendations the Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. published in 2016. It is a degree programme with a high degree of computer science content of type 1. It is divided into the three sub-areas of computer science, application, and project with the following exemplary weighting and semester distribution:

 
In the first two semesters, the basic and in-depth skills are taught in theoretical study elements. This is followed by a semester of deepening and implementation in practical study elements. The last semester is dedicated to the final thesis. Half of the third semester is designed as a project semester and represents an essential characteristic of the master's programme.

After deepening their education in the first two semesters, it also enables students to apply the skills they have acquired in practice. A project is usually carried out at the University of Bayreuth under the supervision of the researchers and lecturers within the context of current research projects. In the process, students are offered intensive, individualized supervision.

No industrial internships are planned, as are often included in degree programmes offered by universities of applied sciences, as these often do not meet the scientific requirements of a university master's programme.

A project comprises either 8 or 15 credit points (small or large project) and includes both a practical portion (e.g. internship) and a theoretical portion (e.g. seminar). Students can choose to split the large project into a small one and a seminar. The chosen project should directly prepare students for the master's thesis and thus enable a seamless transition into the third study phase. Projects can be completed exclusively in computer science or be interdisciplinary. This also applies to the subsequent master's thesis.

Students have the option of completing the second master's semester as a semester abroad at a foreign university. The second master's semester makes sense as a semester abroad in two respects: on the one hand, a student has sufficient subject-specific knowledge to be able to successfully complete a semester abroad due to his or her previous bachelor's degree and the first master's semester. On the other hand, the third semester should be compulsory for all students as a project semester.

Exceptions to this rule are possible, however, if a partner university can provide appropriate practical training. Students can start their studies in Winter Semester or Summer Semester. It is possible to study part-time (e.g. in eight semesters).

In the sub-discipline of computer science, at least 95 credit points must be earned. The coursework must include one or two project modules with a total of 15 or 16 credit points as well as a master's thesis with a total of 30 credit points. The master's thesis is included in the final grade with double the weight of the credit points.

The application sub-area includes interdisciplinary specializations in one of the application areas mathematics, physics, biochemistry, geosciences, law, economics, media sciences, or engineering sciences. At least 15 credit points must be earned in the selected application area. The application modules serve as an introduction to the respective subject and the corresponding specialist terminology. In contrast, the existing master's programme in Applied Computer Science teaches the chosen field of application in much broader scope and in greater depth. The prerequisites necessary for this currently represent a major access hurdle. With this in mind, the strategy in the application area of the new master's programme differs greatly from the existing master's programme.

The curriculum contains only a very small proportion of compulsory modules in order to allow students to specialize according to their individual interests. For the same reason, students are offered a wide range of modules in both computer science and applications. In this way, it is taken into account that students from Germany and abroad bring different prior knowledge with them.

The modules offered are exclusively at the master's level in computer science and predominantly at the master's level in applications. In addition, some modules from bachelor's degree programmes are also offered in the applications. These can only be chosen by students who have not already completed these modules or other modules with comparable content in their bachelor's programme. This is intended to enable students to choose an application subject that they have not previously studied or have not studied intensively, if they are interested.

Are you hoping to pursue an academic career in computer science or would you rather take on complex challenges in the private sector? Whatever you decide, a strong master's degree from the University of Bayreuth will open all doors to you!

Someone with your skills is more in demand today than ever before – e.g. at manufacturing companies, software houses, and research institutions. You can work in the IT departments of administration and business or you can go into the computer industry and take care of the operation, maintenance, or sale of IT products. The employment opportunities on the national and international job market are very good and have proven to be “crisis-proof” in the past, even in economically turbulent times.

You can choose between the following topics: Software Engineering, Parallel and Distributed Systems, Robotics and Embedded Systems, Databases and Information Systems, Graphical Data Processing, Algorithms and Data Structures, Theoretical Computer Science, and Human-Computer Interaction.

 
*ECTS Credit points according to ECTS. The awarding of credit points according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) supports the international comparability of academic courses taken at European universities.

A special feature of your master's programme is the third semester. Half of it is designed as a project semester and offers you the opportunity to apply the skills you have acquired in practice. You get the chance to work on current research projects at the University of Bayreuth. You will be intensively supervised by researchers and lecturers.

Your project can be completed exclusively in computer science or in an interdisciplinary field and comes from one of the application and specialization areas, such as mathematics, physics, biochemistry or the geosciences, law, economics, media, or engineering sciences. Ideally, it is chosen in such a way that you can build your master's thesis on it and thus initiate the third and final phase of your master's degree.